David Lee Roth on Van Halen: We’ve Always Hated Each Other

David Lee Roth didn’t hold back when asked to describe his relationship with Van Halen bandmates Eddie and Alex Van Halen in an interview on comedian Marc Maron’s WTF Podcast.

“We have always hated each other, right up until the last phone call,” Roth said. “There were always creative differences,” Roth insisted. “We’ve never gotten along. We started in rival bands. Bitter rivals. But we were thrown together and it was amazing.”

The singer went on to explain that the hatred worked for them though. “Think of your favorite jeans,” he explained. “They’re ruined and full of holes. What you love most about them is the fucked-up parts.”

DLR was with Van Halen for their biggest albums, including Van Halen, Van Halen II and 1984. He left the group in 1985 for a successful solo career, reunited with the band briefly in 1996 and then again in 2007.

At the end of the day though, can they hang out together socially? Roth confirmed, “Not even close.”